


Teach Me How To...

by Camerahead12



Series: Angstober2020 [22]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Dean Winchester Has PTSD, Dean Winchester Uses ASL, Destiel Promptober 2020 (Supernatural), Domestic, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, but that’s canon, traumatic mutism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:09:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27157084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camerahead12/pseuds/Camerahead12
Summary: Day Twenty-Two; Passing Notes
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Angstober2020 [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950358
Comments: 11
Kudos: 52
Collections: Destiel Promptober 2020





	Teach Me How To...

The first time they met, Dean was six years old, playing tag with a couple of boys at the park. He remembers a dark haired boy with bright blue eyes coming up to him and asking to join. Before Dean could respond, the two boys he was playing with told him no, then proceeded to tease him about the clothes he was wearing. It seemed odd to Dean, at the time, that the boys would tease this boy about his nice clothes. He remembers looking down at his own holy jeans and faded Goodwill shirt and thinking to himself that if anyone should be teased, it should be him. But teasing someone for their clothes, even at the age of six, seemed stupid to Dean.

He walked away from the mean kids, wrapping his arm around the boy and introducing himself, asking the dark haired boy if he wanted to go play on the swings. Dean learned his named was Castiel, which he couldn’t quite say and just decided to call him “Cas. ‘Cause it’s shorter and easier.”

They became fast friends despite they came from different worlds. Castiel came from a pampered lifestyle, a big house, the newest toys and not a worry in the world. Dean came from hand-me-down clothes, a house where the front steps were slightly slanted and always wondering if his dad would get laid off again.

Dean was ten when the accident happened.

Dean had gotten out of bed to go to the bathroom when he heard a noise coming from the stairs. He walked past his little brothers room quietly, about ready to turn the corner to the stairs when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Dean spun around, eyes wide to see his mother giving him a hard look.

“Dean, what are you doing out of bed?” His mother asked.

Before he could even say anything, a gunshot rang out from behind him and he watched as his mother’s eyes grew wide, blood trickling out the side of her mouth.

He doesn’t remember much after that. It’s a blur of police, a tear streaked face little brother and an angry looking father. Dean found out later that they were being robbed, but the guy got spooked by his mother and his finger slipped.

Psychologists called it Traumatic Mutism, but all Dean knew is that his words seemed trapped behind some invisible wall in his throat. Kids at school started calling him dumb, stupid and other mean names. He couldn’t even bring himself to care enough to fight back.

Surprisingly, Castiel stuck by him like nothing was different. He would carry on conversations with him, talking about anything from what his parents were doing, how fascinating bees were, or just sit beside him in comfortable silence playing together.

Almost a year after he watched his mother die, he and Castiel were working on homework together in his room. He was frustrated with the subject, not quite understanding, but every time he tried to open his mouth to ask his teacher a question his words refused to come out.

Throwing his pencil to on the bed beside him, Dean pushed his papers away from him. Castiel looked up, tilting his head from his work at the other end of the bed.

“Kinda tricky isn’t he?” He asked rhetorically getting up and walking around before sitting on the bed beside Dean. He leaned over him grabbing his scattered papers as Dean huffed in annoyance. “Here, let me show you a trick I learned. If you take the…”

Even without words, Castiel was still able to just know what he needed, and helped. Dean was filled with so much gratitude he wanted to thank his friend. He opened his mouth, just knowing the words would have to come, but all that came out was a croak before he broke out into a sweat and gagged on the lump in his throat.

Tears prickled his eyes as Castiel looked up at him with concerned eyes. Dean shook his head in frustrated and open his mouth to try again, but still nothing would come out. Sensing his frustration, Castiel just laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

“You don’t need to say anything,” he said. “I’m happy to help you.”

Dean gave a sad nod, sighing, angry with himself. Cas squeezed his shoulder, his blue eyes soft as he looked at him with nothing but affection, not with pity Dean had gotten so use to seeing when people whispered and glanced at him. Dean felt like he still needed to do something to express how thankful he was that his only friend hadn’t abandoned him.

He looked back down at the paper, picking up the discarded pencil, Dean flipped it over to the blank side. Quickly he scribbled out what he needed to say and handed it to Cas. Nervously he waited while Castiel read it, a smile stretching over his face. His reached over and slipped the pencil out of Dean’s hand and started writing on the paper, and then handed it back to him.

_Thank you for helping me. You didn’t leave me like everyone else, and I know I’m a pain, so just thank you. I couldn’t do this without you._

_You’re my best friend, of course I wont leave you. Besides, I think I’d be very much lost without you._

From that day forward they kept conversations going in a notebook between them. No longer did Castiel’s conversations stay one sided, but he took the time to read Dean’s side. Slowly, Dean started to think he could do this. He could get through and that everything wouldn’t be so bad.

It wasn’t until after they graduated high school and away at college they had gotten in together that Castiel brought up sign language classes. It wasn’t the first time, of course, the conversation came up every now and then. It always rubbed Dean the wrong way. It wasn’t like he was deaf or anything. He could hear, and writing notes back and forth worked just fine. Castiel tried to drive home that this way it would be easier to communicate and express himself.

It was their first real big fight. Dean ended up leaving their dorm room and wandering around campus for hours, thinking and rethinking and probably overthinking their fight. Eventually he ended up back in their room, shaking away Castiel trying to apologize, but his hands were shaking too much to hold a pencil and he couldn’t seem to write the words fast enough. He ripped up the paper in frustration, crumpling on the floor, quiet sobs shaking his body. Castiel’s body wrapped around his, pulling him close, as tender kisses pressed into his hair.

When Dean looked up at his friend, their eyes locked with one another. Slowly, their already close lips pressed together in a shaky, chaste first kiss.

Dean watched as Castiel walked down the aisle slowly to him, hardly aware of everyone else in the room. All that he was aware of was the love of his love staring back at him, holding that same beautiful smile that stole his heart all those years ago.

When the preacher got to the part where they should say their vows, Dean slipped out a piece of paper from his tuxedos pocket and handed it over to Cas. As he read it, his smile grew, his eyes crinkling at the sides, a beautiful feature Dean loves about him. When Castiel looked up at him, Dean signed his vows to him. A few of their friends and family knew sign language by simply being around him enough, or like Sam, taking classes so he could speak to his brother. But it didn’t matter if they did or not, because what he had to say was just for Castiel. His honest to goodness angel that picked up his life and actually gave him back meaning.

As he lets his hands fall, Castiel grabs them in his, eyes shining with tears. “You, Dean Winchester, were the first friend I ever made. Since we were little, you’ve always been my best friend. You taught me what it meant to be a friend. You taught me what love was. We’ve been through so much, and we have so much more to go. I am honored and proud to stand beside you becoming your husband. I am blessed that you chose me to be yours, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together. I love you with everything I am. Thank you for loving me in return.”

Before the pastor can even pronounce them husbands, they find each other’s lips, smiling through their kisses as their friends and family applaud.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you guys think! Kudos give me all the feels!!! ^_^


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